


Friday Night Frustrations

by orphan_account



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Community: gameofcards, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-02
Updated: 2015-05-02
Packaged: 2018-03-28 17:57:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3864292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jemma’s first day at the Academy was not nearly as remarkable as she’d hoped. In fact, it was just another iteration of all her other first days which were all depressing to varying degrees.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Friday Night Frustrations

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DragonofMordor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonofMordor/gifts).



Jemma’s first day at the Academy was not nearly as remarkable as she’d hoped. In fact, it was just another iteration of all her other first days which were all depressing to varying degrees.

On the first day of first grade, Jemma found out her first friend from across the street- Lyla- went to another school. On the first day of seventh grade, she was excited to be taking advanced classes for the first time- and found out the older kids didn’t appreciate her presence in their class. Ninth grade had been the same as seventh grade- except she had a class with a math teacher she’d been crushing on from afar, who called her out the first day for not paying enough attention. At college she thought everything would be a fresh start, that no one knew about her past- so of course, half of her grade somehow ended up at Cambridge. (She _hates_ sports scholarships.)

She should have gone to America for her PhD, but well, they were offering her a full scholarship to stay. Somehow she _still_ thought the Academy would be different. 

Instead, on her first day she got lost in the Operations section, was given the wrong directions, and ended up being late for the first time. It was _not_ a good start. In fact, her entire week went poorly- from not being able to understand her heavily accented Xenobiology lecturer to writing down the wrong date for an early quiz to walking in on her roommate having sex. (Jemma still doesn’t understand why the Academy bothered with roommates as they were all adults, but she doesn’t ask.)

She ends up at the Boiler Room far sooner than she intended. Her roommate had mentioned picking up some conquests there, but Jemma stopped listening after the blissful sound of mind-numbing alcohol. 

5:37 finds the Boiler Room full but not loud, cozy not cramped. She’s sure that’ll change in a few short hours, a Friday probably wasn’t the best day to come seeking quiet oblivion, but Jemma’s here now. 

Her shot of Jack comes quick, and with a blush she asks, “Can you leave the bottle please?” 

The bartender nods, leaving her with the bottle, and she refills her glass, sipping at it more slowly. 

“Do you eh, want to talk about it?” 

The voice comes from over her shoulder, and the next moment Jemma is completely unloading onto a complete stranger without another word. By the bottom of her next refill, she’s finished telling him all about her horrific luck and a dark flush hits her when she realizes he hasn’t even had a moment to introduce himself. 

“I’m so sorry, I’m Jemma.” 

He laughs lightly, shaking her hand. “Fitz. S’okay, it was a much more interesting answer than ‘I’m fine’.” 

“And how are you doing?” 

Fitz goes off about a professor who seems to be deliberately teaching them everything about holograms backwards, and the Friday night venting tradition is established. Jemma calls for an order of nachos, and listens with a smile- things were looking up.


End file.
